Day 4486

It's been a long day, but I made it to the airport on time, had a smooth flight to Orlando, drove to Cocoa Beach to pick up my press credentials, and then checked into my hotel in Titusville. I wasn't able to get a rent car with GPS this time, but luckily I know my way around the area by now.

I ran into several people I know while I was being credentialed and they suggested that I go to Playlinda Beach this evening to get some good pictures of the Artemis-1 rocket while it was sitting on the pad. It sounded like a good idea to me, especially since I didn't have anything else to do this afternoon. I had to renew my annual pass to get into the Canaveral National Seashore, but they have a special senior rate that is quite reasonable. The National Seashore is beautiful and I always enjoy visiting there. There were several areas near the water that had a clear view of launch pads 39a and 39b. It was amazing how much bigger the SLS rocket was on 39B than the Falcon-9 on the nearby 38A. The Artemis rocket is huge. Hopefully, I will get some better pictures tomorrow, but at least I got something today.

Since I don't go to concerts or sporting events, airports are about the only place where I see a lot of people.  I'm not a big fan of crowds and seeing a cross section of humanity like this is kind of frightening. It makes me appreciate my solitary existence. There's certainly nothing glamorous about flying anymore. It's kind of like taking the bus. Now that everyone has decided that Covid is over, airplanes are full. I enjoyed it more when the airlines blocked off the center seats in early 2020, but those days are over. Flying is a zoo again.

The clerk at the Hertz counter told me that none of their cars have in-dash GPS anymore. Evidently it is no longer a desired feature, since most people use their phones for everything. I ended up using Google Maps on my phone to find where I needed to pick up my credentials. It worked surprisingly well, although you can't really see your phone while you are driving. I still like an in-dash GPS system a lot better. Who would have thought that a GPS in your car would end up being old-school and only appreciated by old farts like me.

Tomorrow looks like a busy day. We get to go out to the launch pad and take some close up pictures of the Falcon-9 rocket. I think that Axiom Space is having a press conference in the afternoon as well. A lot of the space photographers set up remote cameras near the launch pad, but I've never had the nerve to do this myself. I've heard too many tales of cameras getting ruined by everything from rain to rocket exhaust. Some photographers build special enclosures to protect their cameras, but these tend to be heavy and bulky. It's not something you'd want to fly with.

I did pretty well at remembering what to pack, but I really should have brought a pair of shorts. When I was out at Playlinda Beach this afternoon it got pretty hot. It's hard to think of every contingency, especially if you like to travel light. I did bring a raincoat which will come in handy if it rains tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be nice for the launch on Friday though. I'm hoping that the forecast is accurate this time.

I wonder if Dawn will miss me while I'm gone. I suspect not. I bet she's already claimed my spot on the bed.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day